sábado, 12 de febrero de 2011

Riot policemen push against protesters duringdemonstration in Algiers February 12, 2011. a

Photograph by: Louafi Larbi, Reuters

ALGIERS, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Thousands of police in riot gear blocked off the centre of Algeria’s capital on Saturday and stopped government opponents from staging a protest march that sought to emulate Egypt’s popular revolt.Small groups of demonstrators angry at President Abdelaziz Bouteflika gathered in May 1 Square in the centre of Algiers shouting “Bouteflika out!.” They waved newspaper front pages reporting Friday’s overthrow of Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak.But riot police hemmed them in, stopping them from carrying out a plan to march through the city. Other protesters trying to reach the square found their way blocked and at least one of the protest organisers was arrested.“It is a state of siege,” said Abdeslam Ali Rachedi, a university lecturer and government opponent.After about three hours, hundreds of people left the square quietly, with police opening up gaps in their cordon to let them through. Some 200 young men from a poor neighbourhood nearby stayed on the square. Some threw objects at police.Mubarak’s resignation and last month’s overthrow of Tunisia’s leader have electrified the Arab world and led many to ask which state could be next in a region with an explosive mix of authoritarian rule and popular anger.Widespread unrest in Algeria could have implications for the world economy because it is a major oil and gas exporter. But many analysts say a revolt is unlikely because the government can use its energy wealth to resolve most grievances.HUGE POLICE DEPLOYMENTOfficials had banned Saturday’s protest, citing public order concerns. A massive police mobilisation, which started on Friday afternoon, appeared to have stifled it.“I am sorry to say the government has deployed a huge force to prevent a peaceful march. This is not good for Algeria’s image,” said Mustafa Bouchachi, a leader of the League for Human Rights which helped organise the protest.The protest was not backed by the main trade unions or the biggest opposition parties. Nearly all members of Algeria’s radical Islamist groups, which were banned in the 1990s but still have grassroots influence, stayed away.Responding to opposition pressure, government officials say they are working hard to create more jobs and improve housing, and they have promised more democratic freedoms including the lifting of a state of emergency in force for 19 years.Reuters reporters at the demonstration said there was a hardcore of about 150 protesters and probably substantially more but it was hard to determine how many because they were mingled with onlookers.They said they saw police detaining a handful of protesters. There was also a small counter-protest nearby, with people chanting “We want peace not chaos!” and “Algeria is not Egypt!”Estimates given by police and protest organisers for the numbers involved diverged greatly.The Interior Ministry said in a statement: “An attempt to organise a march was recorded today at May 1 Square by a crowd estimated at 250 people. Fourteen people were detained and immediately released.”Officials with the opposition RCD party, which helped organise the protest, told Reuters the demonstrators totalled between 7,000 and 10,000 and that 1,000 people were arrested.

Mubarak's wealth has long been a subject of speculation; according to media reports, he and his family own more than $40 billion worth of assets.

By DPA
The Swiss government has decided to block any assets that may be held in Switzerland by Egyptian president Hosny Mubarak, Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said Friday.
The minister said that a decree was issued shortly after Mubarak stepped down Friday to identify and block any assets belonging to the Egyptian president and his family.

Hosni Mubarak during a press conference in Cairo, Dec. 2, 2010.

Photo by: AP

It's the same law that was applied in January to ousted Tunisian president Zine el-Abidine ben Ali and incumbent Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo, whose Swiss assets were frozen.
Bern has in recent years enacted legislation making it easier to return illegally obtained assets of corrupt leaders to their countries' coffers, on condition the funds are used for the wellbeing of the citizens.
Mubarak's wealth has long been a subject of speculation. According to media reports, he and his family own more than $40 billion worth of assets.
According to the Swiss National Bank, Egyptian deposits in Swiss bank accounts totaled 3.6 billion Swiss francs (3.7 billion dollars).

Israel will find it difficult to take action far to the east when it can not rely on the tacit agreement to its actions on its western border.

Most Israelis were either born or immigrated to this country during the period in which Hosni Mubarak ruled Egypt. This is the reality they know. And this is the significance of the stability that Mubarak provided them with.
In all the upheavals that took place in the Middle East over the past three decades, the Egyptian regime appeared to be a powerful rock. The leaders of Israel knew that their left flank was secure as they went out to war, built settlements and negotiated peace on the other fronts. The friction in relations between Jerusalem and Cairo, however frustrating it was at times, did not undermine the foundations of the strategic alliance created by the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement.

The resignation of Mubarak following 18 days of protests in Egypt ushers in a new era of uncertainty for the entire region, and for Israel in particular. The long reign of the Egyptian leader was not unusual for the Middle East. Hafez Assad led Syria for 30 years, like Mubarak in Egypt; King Hussein and Yasser Arafat ruled for 40 years. But when they stepped off the stage, their legacy was secure. Hussein and Assad passed the reins on to their sons, and Arafat was replaced by his veteran deputy, Mahmoud Abbas. This is why the changing of the guard in Jordan, Syria and the Palestinian Authority were perceived by Israel as natural, arousing no particular concern. After all, the familiar is not all that frightening.
But this is not the situation in Egypt today. Mubarak was thrown out, before he could prepare one of his close aides or his son to take over as president. The army commanders who took over are trying to calm the Egyptian public and the international community with promises that they have no intentions of setting up a new junta in Cairo, but rather, plan to pass to transfer authority to a civilian government through free elections. But no one, including the generals in the Supreme Council of the Armed forces, knows how and when the regime transition will play out. History teaches us that after revolutions, it takes a number of years of domestic infighting before the new regime stabilizes.
This uncertainty troubles Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His reactions during the first days of the revolution exposed deep anxieties that the peace agreement with Egypt might collapse. He tried to delay Mubarak's end as long as possible, but to no avail, and on Saturday he praised the Egyptian military's announcement that all international agreements would be respected, including the peace treaty with Israel.
Netanyahu is afraid of the possibility that Egypt may become an Islamic republic, hostile to Israel - a sort of new Iran but much closer physically. He hopes this doesn't happen and that Egypt will follow Turkey's footsteps, preserving formal ties with Israel, embassies, air connections and trade, even as it expresses strong criticism of its treatment the Palestinians. The best case scenario, in his view, even if it is less likely, is that Egypt will become like Turkey before the era of Erdogan: a pro-American country, controlled by the military.
Netanyahu shared with Mubarak his concerns about the growing strength of Iran. Egypt played a key role in the Sunni, the "moderate," axis, which lined up alongside Israel and the United States against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his allies in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip. The toppling of the regime in Cairo does not alter this strategic logic. The revolutionaries at Tahrir Square were motivated by Egyptian national pride and not by their adoration of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Whoever succeeds Mubarak will want to follow this line, even bolster Egyptian nationalism, and not transform Egypt into an Iranian satellite. This does not mean that Mubarak's successor will encourage Israel to strike the Iranian nuclear installations. On the contrary: they will listen to Arab public opinion, which opposes a preemptive war against Iran. Israel will find it difficult to take action far to the east when it can not rely on the tacit agreement to its actions on its western border. Without Mubarak there is no Israeli attack on Iran. His replacement will be concerned about the rage of the masses, if they see him as a collaborator in such operation. Whoever is opposed to a strike, or fear its consequences - even though they appear to be in favor, like Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak - now have the ultimate excuse. We wanted to strike Iran, they will write in their memoirs but we could not because of the revolution in Egypt. Like Ehud Olmert says that he nearly made peace, they will say that they nearly made war. In his departure Mubarak prevented a preemptive Israeli war. This appears to have been his last contribution to regional stability.

viernes, 11 de febrero de 2011

Mubarak resigns: Reaction from Egypt

Hosni Mubarak has stepped down as president of Egypt, after weeks of protest in Cairo and other cities.

The news was greeted with a huge outburst of joy and celebration by thousands in Cairo's Tahrir Square - the heart of the demonstrations.
Here BBC News website users in Egypt give their reaction to the events of 11 February.

Baher Ibrahim, Alexandria

This is one of the greatest days of my life. I am proud to have participated in this revolution from the start. I am now definitely proud to be an Egyptian, and I am sure better days are to come for Egypt.
I hope that the army will dissolve the current government and just have a temporary role to restore order and stability until there are elections.
I just have one request: Please do not say "former President Mubarak". Say "ousted President Mubarak."

Dr Mohamed Nagib, Cairo

We were all there - dancing, chanting and singing that we are the Egyptian people and we have taken back our freedom.

This is a momentous event in the history if the Egyptian people. It will change the whole Arab region”

I live in Cairo - I have just come from the street where I was celebrating with the people.

This is a momentous event in the history of the Egyptian people. It will change the whole Arab region.
Today we have freed ourselves from the military dictatorship. We know that it is an inalienable human right to be free. We will choose our government and our representatives. We will topple any government from now on if they don't respond to the demands of the people.
Today I saw in the eyes of every Egyptian in the streets a sense of dignity - people have been changed. We want to be a free country.
I took my little girls, wife and brother and their children on to the streets. We were all there - dancing, chanting and singing that we are the Egyptian people and we have taken back our freedom.
We got on the tanks and chanted our celebrations. We put our hands together with our flags - everyone - the old and the young. It was indescribable - I felt completely exalted. I felt proud to be an Egyptian.

Jaroslaw Dobrowolski, Cairo

From my balcony I can see the presidential palace. I think it's a good and positive thing that Mr Mubarak has gone.
Yesterday there was disappointed when he didn't go - there were high expectations. Egypt is a complex country as there are many different elements in play, so I couldn't predict what will happen next.

I have lived here for 20 years, and I have seen how the political system gradually becoming out of the pace with what is happening in Egypt. The politics in the country is one thing, but I stayed here because I like the country and its people.
Today, Egypt is very different from years ago. Before, you had to take a bus and go down town to make a phone call as the phones often didn't work.
Now, it is much more in keeping with the developed world: you can pay bills online; use a cellphone; there's an infrastructure; and now we can be connected with the internet - what has been happening here is proof of this.

Maged Salib, Cairo

I hoped for a peaceful transition of power, following the law so I am worried about this move. This is what the people want, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's good for them.
Now we must get from the army an exact declaration of what they will do. The only legal authority now is from the parliament members. If the army says that they will dissolve our parliament then we will have no constitution, no government and no vice-president.
This is a very worrying time and the people who are celebrating now should stop treating this like a soccer match. They just wanted to get the president to step down but they haven't thought about the ramifications.
I've just been out onto the streets and everyone waving flags and sounding horns. Most of my friends are not happy about this, because we don't like the idea of the army taking power. We don't need another 60 years of military rule.